Streaming - Rare Films

[tripplej]

I came across an awesome site where you can watch older movies free.

Film Index

Here's an alphabetical index with all the films currently available on the site. Last update: April 24, 2023. Total: 2985 titles. !*$? 0-9 ...and millions will die! (1973) ...ere erera baleibu izik subua aruaren... (1970) …One Third of a Nation… (1939) $1000 a Minute (1935) HD $1000 a...

rarefilmm.com

almost 3,000 films to enjoy.

Take a look.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

There's a lot of great stuff there, though I follow the guy who runs that site on Bluesky and he shares a lot of other great links to stuff that's not on that particular site. My new favorite category is 35mm scans by enthusiasts, recently we've seen things like a 4K scan of T2 pop up for download, which is a fun item to have on hand when you've just had enough of the DNR on the official 4K release.

 

[tripplej]

If you have any links, let me know. I am interested in seeing more of these "rare" films.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

If you have any links, let me know. I am interested in seeing more of these "rare" films.

This is the account I follow. Most of the older download links have been taken down. There may be more available via his account on the naXi social media site, but I refuse to go there anymore.

There may be some fun stuff here and here, too. The 4K version has some unfortunately heavy-handed use of HDR, but the 1080p version looks very nice.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the links provided. I will check them out.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Travis, for these films, are you downloading and playing via Plex?

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Travis, for these films, are you downloading and playing via Plex?

Emby now, but yes, downloading and serving locally.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Legal?

Just my first thought.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Legal?

Just my first thought.

Gray area. At its core, probably not, but for those of us who've purchased every version of T2 released going back to VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, HDDVD, Bluray, and now 4K versions, I don't feel too guilty having this version any more than I would if I had a VHS copy I'd recorded off HBO. These are fans of the films, not bootleggers.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Here's a great video about the practice of enthusiast-led 35mm film scans. They're a novelty and fun to watch on occasion. They're an interesting take on film study. But their accuracy is not guaranteed, as evidenced by the difference in the T2 versions. I appreciate that these enthusiasts rarely use heavy-handed DNR, but I'm also glad the official 4K versions of these films exist.

 

[Mike Schramm]

I didn't know this was a thing. I could just download Plex or Emby onto my AppleTV to get this to work, correct?

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

I didn't know this was a thing. I could just download Plex or Emby onto my AppleTV to get this to work, correct?

Plex or Emby are just the playback and server organization software. They’re not necessary but give you a nice app-based navigation and easy to watch in your theater. The files themselves aren’t just automatically in the apps though, you have to seek out online through the website and Bluesky account mentioned above, but can be played back with other software as well.

 

[Mike Schramm]

I see. It's not necessarily an app, but a means of getting to those sites (Bluesky and rarefilmm.com).

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

I see. It's not necessarily an app, but a means of getting to those sites (Bluesky and rarefilmm.com).

Nope, not quite.

PLEX and Emby are file management systems that create a Kaleidescape-esque user interface via an app that connects to your server, or a computer on your network.

It is up to you to add the content, generally via ripping your disc library.

rarefilmm.com is a website that contains downloadable content (or streamable) of films that are long out of print and unavailable. The linked Bluesky account is either the owner of rarefilmm.com or someone affiliated with the site, who also shares temporary links to some of these other fun enthusiast projects. If you use either of these, you can download the files, add them to your server, and then view in your theater via PLEX or Emby or Kodi or Jellyfin, etc., lots of free options for connecting to local storage.

 

[Mike Schramm]

Emby now, but yes, downloading and serving locally.

Little slow on the uptake. You and Todd both clearly said they are downloads. Somehow missed that.
Got it now, sorry about that!